Before Adam Osmond was an addict whose life had been upended by gambling, he was just a guy buying a scratch ticket.

At the time, Osmond owned a gas station and a convenience store in New Britain, giving him easy access to lottery games. So he spent $1 here and $2 there. Then $5 and $10. Then more and more. Soon, he was coughing up serious cash from the confines of his own stores.

“It was like owning your own little casinos,” he said. “And eventually I became one of my best customers and one of the best customers for the Connecticut Lottery.”